Ratings and Reactions: Fulham 2-0 Villa

[Morpheus]

 

And yet they still beat us comfortably.

 

And we've beaten Arsenal this seaosn - doesn't mean we're anywhere near as good as they are.

 

We weren't playing Arsenal though we're we. We were playing a team positioned below us yet they beat us comfortably. Oh yeah we couldn't beat the bottom team either or are we not supposed to be better than them.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Morpheus

[CrackpotForeigner]

 

 

Benteke's form is a real problem. He was atrocious today. Absolutely no inclination to try to run at them like he used to. Instead he made half-arsed attempts to win headers and make back passes, which on almost every single occasion ended up with the opposition. I thought Kozak was bad at holding it up, but this twin brother of Benteke is far worse, and doesn't know how to score a goal.

Benteke had no service because the players around him were crap.

 

Pretty sure Gabby put one on his head which Benteke headed wide!

 

 

He sure did. It was a perfect, bread and butter cross. If you can't finish, at least hold the ball up. CB is doing neither, in fact his hold-up play is several shades worse than useless at the moment. I've never seen such a brilliant player play so badly for so many games ever.

[CrackpotForeigner]

oh yea the ref was horrendous too, but at the end of the day fulham were still the better team and we deserved to lose, bulls#it penalties/non penalties aside

 

They were the better team because they were able to relax with a 2 goal lead which they were given by the ref. Goals change games.

[StanBalaban]

Inconsistent midtable team is inconsistent and midtable.

[AVTuco]

Not really much to say. Clark and Delph were least poor, I chose Clark for MotM.

Benteke is not getting anything done. Not even close to scoring. Expecting to get help from the ref every time he loses a battle. Which seems like all the time. Get it together Tekkers! You can do it, just work work work. Don't give up so easily.

[Mantis]

 

I think it's absolutely pathetic that anybody that mentions the refereeing decisions as a factor (and they were) and isn't screaming about how bad everything connected to Villa is just gets bombarded with insults like "delusion" etc.

 Also think it's pathetic that posters don't accept what's in front of them even though Fulham outplayed us in every aspect of the game.

 

 

Other posts don't have to "accept" certain things just because they're your opinions. Nobody is denying that Fulham were better than us today but many people will disagree with your ridiculously high opinions of Berbatov and the Fulham team. After all, they're still embroiled in a relegation battle and one game doesn't change that.

 

 

 

And yet they still beat us comfortably.

 

And we've beaten Arsenal this seaosn - doesn't mean we're anywhere near as good as they are.

 

We weren't playing Arsenal though we're we. We were playing a team positioned below us yet they beat us comfortably. Oh yeah we couldn't beat the bottom team either or we not supposed to be better than them.

 

 

Your argument was that Fulham beat us therefore they've got a better team than us. I was pointing out that individual games are relatively meaningless in the grand scheme of things and the Arsenal game demonstrates that. We beat them but it doesn't change the fact that they're better than us, just like Fulham beating us doesn't change the fact that we're better than them.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Mantis

[MessiWillSignForVilla]

I can guarantee that nearly everybody would've thought the Fulham penalty was the correct decision if it had gone our way. Clear contact, doesn't matter if it was unintentional or not. Once you make contact like that you are always asking for it...

 

Bacuna didn't make the contact though, that's the whole point of why it wasn't a penalty. Bacuna was running in a straight line, didn't attempt a tackle and Kackanaklic jumped in front of him.

 

But then again you're right, Kackanaklic certainly was asking for it...

[Morpheus]

 

 

I can guarantee that nearly everybody would've thought the Fulham penalty was the correct decision if it had gone our way. Clear contact, doesn't matter if it was unintentional or not. Once you make contact like that you are always asking for it...

LMAO

 

No. Kacaniklic leans into Bacuna which causes him to clip his ankles and he falls down dramatically. Not a penalty.

 

 

My blue-nose brother-in-law confirms "no penatly"

 

Still willing to dish out stick concerning Berbatov or experienced players in general VillaCas or are you now willing to except that quality experience can have a place in any team,?

[Rodders]

worst game I've seen this season

 

guzan 5

bacuna 3

clark 5

herd 4

baker 5

delph 6

ahamadi 5

westwood 1 - **** OFF

wiemann 1 - who?

benteke 2 - 

agbonlahor 6

 

 

lambert 3

[poitier]

Utter shambles today, I think Lambert has to take a lot of the blame.

 

I can't see why he brought Herd into central defence and shifted Baker to LB, thereby weakening two positions rather than just one. I thought Herd did ok, typically combative and dominated Berbatov in the air, but obviously doesn't have the required positional sense of a centre back and that hurt us - not his fault though. He should give Westwood some lessons in how to not tackle like a pussy.

 

Tonev on for KEA did us no favours. Weimann was an absolute passenger. Guzan not at his best.

 

Gabby motm by a long way.

 

I fear the United game.

[Villain4Life]

So depressing, it's taken me until now to be able to just type again ...

 

1) MOTM : The Villa fans at Craven Cottage.

 

2) Benteke is so gone in January. He's probably already signed a pre-contract. It shows.

 

3) Typical Villa. When we finally have a chance of consolidating a good position, we play like that

 

4) Depressing.

Edited December 8, 2013 by Villain4Life

[StanBalaban]

 

 

And yet they still beat us comfortably.

 

And we've beaten Arsenal this seaosn - doesn't mean we're anywhere near as good as they are.

 

We weren't playing Arsenal though we're we. We were playing a team positioned below us yet they beat us comfortably. Oh yeah we couldn't beat the bottom team either or are we not supposed to be better than them.

 

Fulham were comfortable winners today, assisted by the referee. We can never tell how the game would've gone had that dodgy penalty not been given, but we are at second best team in the league for recovering points from losing positions.

It's moot anyway as it was given, but it certainly did have a huge impact on the rest of the game.

 

On both Fulham and Sunderland, both have under achieved this season and we've caught them soon after their managerial changes.  In effect the table probably doesn't represent their true worth, unless anyone thinks the coaching staff has no impact on a team.

Essentially, what I'm saying is that the Sunderland and Fulham that we played with their new managers are better than their league positions indicate - due to their previous managers - so not really a gimme for us to turn them over.

 

We were poor today, but we're a young, inconsistent team that could easily get a result against Man U next week.  Key players were missing and some established ones offered little. I wonder what happened to Kozak, as he probably would've buried Benteke's chance to put us 1-0 up - but it's all 'ifs and maybes'.

[StefanAVFC]

 

The Southampton game was awful too, and we won that one.

 

We could have won this one if not for Benteke's appalling form and an absolute tool of a referee.

Complete and utter delusion. 

 

 

What?

 

First bit is completely fair.

 

He said could, which clearly means that that there was a chance of winning. Now lets cross-reference his 2 points against his opening sentence of (and I repeat) could have won.

 

- Benteke has experience of winning games singlehandedly

- +1 pen - 1 pen for correct decisions

 

I don't particularly agree with CrackpotForeigner's statement, but completely and utterly deluded? Wind your neck in.

Edited December 8, 2013 by StefanAVFC

[StanBalaban]

 

 

 

I can guarantee that nearly everybody would've thought the Fulham penalty was the correct decision if it had gone our way. Clear contact, doesn't matter if it was unintentional or not. Once you make contact like that you are always asking for it...

LMAO

 

No. Kacaniklic leans into Bacuna which causes him to clip his ankles and he falls down dramatically. Not a penalty.

 

 

My blue-nose brother-in-law confirms "no penatly"

 

Still willing to dish out stick concerning Berbatov or experienced players in general VillaCas or are you now willing to except that quality experience can have a place in any team,?

 

Of course experience can have it's place, but Berbatov is playing like that every 1 in 10 games. You'd be screaming at him for the other 9.

[StefanAVFC]

I can guarantee that nearly everybody would've thought the Fulham penalty was the correct decision if it had gone our way. Clear contact, doesn't matter if it was unintentional or not. Once you make contact like that you are always asking for it...

 

He didn't make contact though. The Fulham tosser jumped into Bacuna and initiated the contact. I'd have been embarrassed to get a pen like that.

[ozvillafan]

We simply do not close down. Our 3 central defenders sit back with our back line in a defensive formation on our penalty area and give the opposition time and room in the hope that a mistake leads to a counter.

 

If you didn't know better, you'd think we were the team of 32+ year old players and Fulham the young hungry side, such was the lack of movement and energy.

 

Horrid.

[JoshVilla]

Very valuable 3 points chucked away there. Had a perfect chance to go level on points with United before we play them and we bottled it as we often do against teams we should be beating. Difficult to defend that.

[Morpheus]

 

 

I think it's absolutely pathetic that anybody that mentions the refereeing decisions as a factor (and they were) and isn't screaming about how bad everything connected to Villa is just gets bombarded with insults like "delusion" etc.

 Also think it's pathetic that posters don't accept what's in front of them even though Fulham outplayed us in every aspect of the game.

 

 

Other posts don't have to "accept" certain things just because they're your opinions. Nobody is denying that Fulham were better than us today but many people will disagree with your ridiculously high opinions of Berbatov and the Fulham team. After all, they're still embroiled in a relegation battle and one game doesn't change that.

 

 

 

And yet they still beat us comfortably.

 

And we've beaten Arsenal this seaosn - doesn't mean we're anywhere near as good as they are.

 

We weren't playing Arsenal though we're we. We were playing a team positioned below us yet they beat us comfortably. Oh yeah we couldn't beat the bottom team either or we not supposed to be better than them.

 

 

Your argument was that Fulham beat us therefore they've got a better team than us. I was pointing out that individual games are relatively meaningless in the grand scheme of things and the Arsenal game demonstrates that. We beat them but it doesn't change the fact that they're better than us, just like Fulham beating us doesn't change the fact that we're better than them.

 

Ha,ha. You criticise me for expecting other posters to accept my opinion (which i don't) and then state in bold and still you question those who accuse you of hypocrisy.

 

And you state that we are better than Fulham yet they gave us a footballing lesson today.

[GasGasGas]

Guzan - 5 - A couple of good stops and also a couple of nervy moments
Bacuna - 1 - Was a liability in defence making all sorts of elementary mistakes. Speaking of elementary, does he even know how to pass? Simple passes to your own player and he even struggles at doing that. Has next to no footballing nous in open play and basically he is little more than an athlete on a football pitch
Herd - 5 - All that was expected
Baker - 3 - Offered zilch going forward. Played his part in a dire performance
Clark - 6 - A couple of good stops and nothing much wrong. Nothing more offered as well
KEA - 2 - Invisible most of the time. And people were saying Sidwell used to be invisible at times? We know who's the better midfielder by far if we compared them both
Delph - 4 - Has some skill. That's about it. Doesn't make any inroads and this is mostly down to his passing as he remains a poor passer of the ball. As with the rest of our team
Westwood - 1 - Easily his worst game in a Villa shirt. His set pieces were so poor they were laughable. And people used to moan at Bannan's set pieces? I don't see how Westwood's are better at all. His pass completion today was as shambolic as anyone else's. Also on multiple occasions when the ball was passed to him all he did was to slip and fall and fail to even receive those basic passes as a result? Might as well not be on the pitch at all today
Weimann - 0 - How the hell he can even qualify as a football player beggars belief. He practically just hits at the ball randomly when he does get it and that counts as playing football? Unbelievable
Agbonlahor - 4 - Got better towards the end and finally put himself about with some forceful runs like he should be doing. Should have had a penalty
Benteke - 3 - At least he is still getting chances. But with his form just so piss poor he just wasted all of them. Looks so much more ponderous compared resulting in chances gone begging as well whereas he used to be able to pull off the shots and goals

 

Tonev - 3 - Touched the ball a few times and played some passes. That's about it
Albrighton - Too little time to rate

Lowton - In the little time he was on he already offered more going forward than Bacuna did

 

Mike Dean - MOTM for Fulham. Best "referee" I've seen us have all season. Every touch we made on a Fulham player was a foul including the "penalty". Was it offside as well as it looked like it was? Allowed his teammates to crash into our players and get away with it. Not giving the penalty to Gabby when he allowed his team one for a lesser offence just sums it up.

Edited December 8, 2013 by GasGasGas

[Keyblade]

I think it's absolutely pathetic that anybody that mentions the refereeing decisions as a factor (and they were) and isn't screaming about how bad everything connected to Villa is just gets bombarded with insults like "delusion" etc.

Funny how it's those same people who complain about posts on posters eh.